BarCamp Ho: Harnessing Local Competencies and Opportunities for Global Impact

BarCamp Ho 2011 is a free networking event to bring people together for a day of discussion, demonstrations and dialogue about Ho, the Volta Region and beyond. BarCamp Ho 2011 will take place on December 3, 2011 at Centre for National Culture in Ho, Ghana. The theme is “Harnessing local competencies and opportunities for global impact”. The first Barcamp Ho event will create a supportive community for entrepreneurs, change makers, innovators and other leaders in Ho and the Volta Region. Ho is well primed to support development in Ghana and Togo as well.
 

The BarCamp Ghana team has successfully organized eight BarCamps in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Tamale, resulting in a network of Ghanaian doers, entrepreneurs and change makers. Barcamp Ho 2011 is organized by the GhanaThink Foundation in conjunction with a local team of Volta Region-based change makers. This BarCamp will focus on networking like-minded entrepreneurial and change making Ho residents to partner in adding value to their businesses and community. It will also promote successful young entrepreneurs from the region, further inspiring similar activity in attendees and birthing new businesses, initiatives and projects.

Like all Barcamps, there will be user-generated sessions and discussions where attendees get to set the agenda and topics for the day. BarCamp Ho 2011 will have a panel discussion on tourism featuring Donald Diaba (iRokko Concepts), Eli Aidam (Centre for Creative Youth and Centre for National Culture) and Eric Tackie Tawiah (Ghana Tourist Board). There shall also be sessions about starting up businesses, social media, blogging and topics relevant to the Volta region and beyond.. The social media sessions will be led by Mac-Jordan Degadjor. Leti Games CEO Eyram Tawia will share his story of building one of Africa's premier gaming companies. Alex Titiloye Ojo, a recent award winner at the World Youth Summit Awards, will also be there to share his insights. 

The unmistakable Wli water fall is one of the many tourist attractions in the Volta Region. How do we project it better?

Register/RSVP today at the BarCamp Ho eventbrite website. You may also contact the BarCamp Ho team through this website for sponsorship opportunities. If you are interested in organizing a breakout session, let us know, especially if you have special needs. You may also register by sending "Barcamp Ho [name] [email address] to 1945 on all networks.

BarCamp Ho 2011 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, Google, Centre for National Culture, Volta Regional Trade & Investment Fair, Fienipa Group, Nandimobile, iROKKO Concepts, Leti Games, GhanaBlogging,Cenre for Creative Youth, etc. Our media partners are ModernGhana.com.

Register at http://barcampHo11.eventbrite.com/
See you there!

Contact: http://barcampghana.org/contact or barcamp at ghanathink.org

Taking The BarCamp Fever to the Regions of Ghana

Section from BarCamp Accra 2010

BarCamps the world over are space for idea-sharing, networking and fun. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you may be abreast with what barcamps in Ghana are all about.

For starters, a barcamp is simply a conference whose content is mostly user-generated (so we call it an un-conference). That is attendees are allowed to dictate what should be discussed and in what way it should be discussed. This allows for highly relevant, engaging and focused discussions relevant to local communities. The result is that the passion, fervour and "vim" flowing from such discussions push people to come out with many projects, in different sectors, ranging from regular businesses, through social enterprises to building intellectual communities.

And so it is with BarCamp Ghana. I've learnt lots of valuable lessons participating in and volunteering for BarCamps in Ghana. Since 2008, BarCamp Ghana has been nurturing the nation's young minds, preparing them for the future with the knowledge of skills they should be learning, networks they should be building and planting the seed of firm believe that they can thrive and succeed in Ghana despite the prevailing odds. That's the spirit of BarCamp Ghana. Some prefer to sum it up with one word. VIM! That vim is evident in all these BarCamp gatherings, as the creme de la creme of young changemakers are always represented.

One focus of GhanaThink, the organisation behind barcamps in Ghana, for the last two years, has been to spread the barcamp love nationwide. Last year barcamps were held in Accra, Kumasi and Sekondi-Takoradi. This year even more towns are joining the BarCamp train. Kumasi and Cape Coast have already hosted superb events. Tamale and Ho will be debuting their respective regional barcamps ahead of the grand party, BarCamp Ghana 2011, in Accra. Here are some quick details:

Championing local voices for development through technology and ICT

Focus: Northern region, development, NGO, community, technology
Venue: Tamale Polytechnic
Date: 26th November, 2011
Registration: Evenbrite page. OR Text "Barcamp Tamale [your_name] [your_email_address] to 1945
Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

Harnessing local competencies and opportunities for global impact

Focus: Volta region, entrepreneurship, tourism, social media, local content
Venue: Centre for National Culture, Ho
Date: 3rd December, 2011
Registration: Eventbrite page OR Text "Barcamp Ho [your_name] [your_email_address] to 1945
Connect: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

Try to make it to these events if you get a chance and like the BarCamp Ghana page on Facebook!